Helmet: Scorpion EXO-700 ($40) Cragslist special
Perusing through cragslist for a year will put you in the know on what's a good deal and what's not. A second hand sports store in Bremerton put an ad up and I picked this baby up from them. Had a cosmetic piece on the back that was broken off but I was able to just epoxy it back on. Padding is great, Fits my 21 inch dome in a medium size real well. I wear a size 7 hat. Since I bought the lapel/lavalier microphone and attached it I was able to stuff the extra seven miles of cord between the shell and the cheek pads. There's a surprising amount of room back there. Only made the cheek pads slightly more snug.
Found a good deal on this puppy at a local leather shop. It's a bit of money to lay down but it's the largest part of your body. So if you make it Hi-Vis that's a lot more Hi-Vis real estate. Also I'm going to be doing this in Alaska so I need some of that thermal protection later. So far the jacket is comfy. I'm wearing a size small and I have a 39" chest and a 31" sleeve length. Still have quite a bit of movement with the padding the jacket has and the wind really doesn't get through it at all. I wear a T-shirt underneath and on a 50 degree ride at sunset and no quilted liner I'm very comfortable on the interstate. It's also available in black and gray.
Pants: Trousers, Cold Weather, Universal Camouflage (FREE) US Army Issue
Gotta take the hand outs where I can get em. Of course if I damage these things I have to pay to replace em. It's kind of a gamble but I'll get some purpose built pants with some protection eventually. Basically they have no insulation, made of gore-tex material and the wind doesn't get through em but I can feel if the temp drops below 45 I'll need something other than jeans on underneath.
Boots: Fox Something or other boots ($50) Craigslist special
Buckles are broken but functional but they're stiff, protective and waterproof. I don't have a picture of em yet. I have a size 9 shoe and these are size 9 boots. They have plenty of room for a thick pair of socks in them but they aren't too loose without those socks. My intention was to find some boots you can lay most of a motorbike on and my leg would still be okay. These are a step in the right direction but not quite that level. Found out my left boot is not waterproof but the right boot is. Quite handy for people who are more prone to immersion foot only in their right foot.
Gloves: Leather insulated gloves ($30) On Base clothing store
Bilt BLG9 Waterproof ($20) Cycle Gear in-store
Bought the Bilt gloves in store just to have something waterproof. They are not however, breathable. Hands get super sweaty in them which kind of defeats the purpose of keeping the water out. I've found they actually do much better in the wind than the leather. Also the sweat hasn't been too much of a nuisance. I guess I was just rather sweaty handed those first few days. The leather gloves are kind of old but they do the job pretty well. I can fit a pair of liners underneath those ones and they are mildly insulated. No gauntlets though which let more of the wind past. Better for hotter days I suppose.
No comments:
Post a Comment